China Reform Monitor: No. 740

[Editor’s Note: On December 25, 2008, Hai Yang, senior commentator on the Taiwan issue for the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper, published a lengthy special report entitled, "Seven Unique Characteristics in the Development of Taiwanese Military Affairs.” The report examined Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s policies to modernize Taiwan's military force amid his parallel efforts to cultivate a “diplomatic truce” with Beijing. Of the published materials surveyed on this topic this one provides the most valuable collection of information about the Ma administration’s national defense strategy, which I have sought to detail below in CRM translation-brief format.]

“No war across the Strait"
Under Ma, the self-governing island’s leadership has accepted the so-called "92 Consensus" formulation to maintain peace with Beijing while simultaneously trying to maintain the morale and boost the fighting strength of the self-governing island’s military. President Ma has suggested signing a "peace agreement" so that war will never arise in the cross-Strait region. "Let me put it boldly that in the next four years, there will be no war across the Strait," Ma Ying-jeou said at Taiwan’s National Defense University on October 21. Under Ma, Taiwan has said it will not provoke the mainland, has advocated a "cross-Strait military mutual trust mechanism," and has changed its military newspaper’s previously anti-Beijing propaganda line.

Military "Streamlining program"
Ma has also vowed to accelerate the "streamlining program" of Taiwan’s military. In his first report to the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's defense minister, Chen Chao-min, said that the Taiwanese military would cut military personnel from 270,000 down to 200,000, reduce the numbers of officers from 481 to 387; including 9 generals, 64 lieutenant generals, and 314 major generals; with all cuts to be completed by the end of this year. Taipei is in the midst of revamping its military enlistment system, with a seven-year plan to transform its general conscription system into one that combines voluntary enlistment with the draft. In 2011, the ratio of volunteers to conscripts will go from four to six to six to four, the first step in Taiwan’s gradual transition to a professional army.

Command and training
In 2008, Taiwan's army officially started a new joint operational command mechanism and increased military exercises. Taiwan’s largest military exercise was the "Han Kuang 24," which was carried out in two phases, a "computerized military advance" in June and the "military inspection" in September. Ma Ying-jeou was present at the Hengshan command center for inspection for the first phase. The People's Liberation Army was still regarded as a mock enemy in the Han Kuang 24 drill, and the mock year of invasion was 2009, much closer to the present time than the previously designated year of 2012. On June 23, the mainland infantry troops attacked Taiwan, and the Taiwanese naval and air forces were almost annihilated within a day.

"Reasonable arms purchase policy”
It is expected that Taiwan will spend $40 billion on armaments in the next five to 10 years. Within five years, the Taiwanese military will spend $1.3 billion on renewing equipment and is pushing for a $17.5 billion budget. The U.S. government announced six arms sales to Taiwan on October 3, with a value of nearly $6.5 billion, to include 30 Apache Attack Helicopters, a Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile system, and underwater torpedoes.

Domestic arms industry
Meanwhile, the Ma administration is also looking to accelerate the pace of indigenous arms manufacturing. The Taiwan Chung-Hwa Shipyard has started manufacturing 29 170-ton "Kuang Hwa No 6" missile boats for delivery by the end of 2009. Two “strategic missile platoons” are being placed under the missile command centre of the "National Defense Ministry" and commensurate technology is under development. For instance, Hsiung 2-E missiles are being manufactured and Taiwan's China Institute of Technology will continue conducting the research and development of multi-head missile technology, including work on a long-range missile with an 800-kilometer range. Taiwan's army has installed about 6,000 air-defense missiles of various types, and its air defenses feature the largest variety of air-defense missiles in the world.